Another Side, Another Story
by Audinale55
Summary: What if Roxas hadn't joined with Sora and ended up reluctantly taking his place as the Keyblade Master? KHII, with a twist. No spoilers for 358/2 Days
1. Chapter 1

Hello, readers, and welcome to this fic!

It's actually quite a random plotbunny that I thought up while replaying KHII and thinking that Roxas got the short end of the stick. So, this is dedicated to all the Roxas fans out there. *salutes them*

Also, since I have yet to finish 358/2 Days, this does not include anything from it. Which means no references to Xion, or anything.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts. Disney and Squeenix does.

* * *

"You know, you should share some of your hatred of me with Sora. He's much too nice for his own good," DiZ said conversationally, what could possibly be a smirk disguised by the red bandages around his face. Roxas huffed, anger welling up inside of him. It was anger about a number of things: anger at DiZ for taunting him, anger at Organization XIII for pursuing him, anger at Naminé for putting Sora's memories back together, anger at _Sora _himself, for being the one who could exist. Who had the right to exist.

"No, damn it! My heart is _my own!_" He wasn't quite sure why he said that, because he didn't have a heart. He was a Nobody, he didn't have a heart, didn't have emotions. But then why was he so _angry?_ Why had he been so happy with Hayner, Pence, and Olette, if he couldn't feel happiness?

DiZ almost looked like he was about to say something, so Roxas, fed up with this man and his overwhelming sense of justice, ran towards him, swinging Oblivion through him. Right through him, because he was only a projection. The pixels faded away, leaving Roxas alone with Sora's pod. He looked at it, gripping his two keyblades tighter in his hands, as if for strength as he took one step forward.

The metal petals of Sora's pod opened, and a sort of fear gripped at Roxas' heart. Or not-heart. It was so confusing now; that he found out he didn't have a heart. Did he just _think_ he was experiencing emotion?

Only, the fear-or whatever- was short lived, as it was replaced with utter confusion. For Sora's pod…was empty. All this, fighting his way down here and expecting to give up his body and his existence to Sora and there was… _nothing?_ Did DiZ know that Sora wasn't here? And if he wasn't here, then where was he?

Ugh, too many questions. All he knew right now is that he was still here, still existing, and still in trouble if he stayed here. He needed to leave before Organization XIII found him again.

Roxas was startled, though, by the sound of the door opening behind him. He clenched his keyblades tight enough so that his knuckles turned white, expecting to be attacked.

"Sora!" He wasn't expecting that. He turned his head around in shock to look behind him, and saw Donald and Goofy standing there, looking at him.

"I'm not Sora," he said quietly, turning all the way around. "My name is Roxas."

"But you have the keyblade-er, keyblades!" Goofy pointed out. Roxas looked down at his hands, at Oathkeeper and Oblivion, before making them disappear.

"Yeah, yeah I do. Sorry," he said, because he felt like he owed them an apology. Because he wasn't Sora.

"Then where's Sora?" Donald asked him. Roxas shrugged.

"I really don't know." Donald looked angered by this answer, but of course, from Sora's memories, he was always quick to anger. It brought a hint of a smile to Roxas' face.

"Then what _do_ you know?!" Donald asked, jumping up and down.

"That I should probably be going," Roxas said, walking past them, towards the door. He stopped at it, though, putting his hand on the doorjamb. Something in him didn't want to leave. Probably Sora's memories of these two. "And I am really sorry Sora isn't here. Really."

The strange thing was, he actually _meant_ it. He was a Nobody, and he wasn't really supposed to exist. Sora was the one that had to save the world. In a way, he didn't want that burden. Maybe it would have been better if he just…faded into existence.

He was in the foyer of the mansion by the time Donald and Goofy caught up with him. They came running from behind him, and blocked his exit. He scowled at them. "What now?"

"We decided we're going with you!" Goofy said.

"Yeah! 'Cause the King said that we had to stick with the keyblade, and you have the keyblade!" Donald said. He then added, "Doesn't mean we _like_ you, and when we find Sora we're leaving."

"Doesn't matter to me," Roxas said. If they ever did find Sora, he wouldn't exist anymore anyway, so it wasn't like he really cared what they did. If they wanted to follow him, they could. He didn't even know where he was going, other than…_not here_.

So that was how he ended up with a knight and a mage following him through Twilight Town. "So, what is this place, anyway?" Donald asked, looking around.

"Twilight Town. This is where I've lived for… a while now," Roxas said awkwardly. It was the exact same as the virtual Twilight Town, only this one didn't have any evidence of him having lived here at all. He hoped they didn't see Hayner, Pence, or Olette, because he wasn't quite sure what he would do.

"Gosh, the sky's really red. Is it always that color?" Goofy asked him. Roxas gave a tiny little smile at that question.

"Of course it is. It's, y'know…Twilight Town. Always twilight. The time between light…and dark." His voice fell flat at the end, because maybe it was fitting that he had been put here, that he had always been drawn here. It was like him. Trapped between light and dark.

"Aw, c'mon Roxas, cheer up!" Goofy said, nudging him in the shoulder. He looked at him, shocked. "Only happy faces here! Right Donald?"

Donald grumbled. "Yeah, yeah. Happy faces. Right, Goofy." He obviously wasn't happy with this turn of events, and Roxas couldn't blame him. Anyway, Donald hadn't trusted Sora in the beginning, according to what he could remember. So maybe it was just Donald?

Goofy didn't have a problem. He was still talking to Roxas. "So, do ya know where we're going?"

"Station Heights. We should be able to catch a tram out of here," Roxas said. He had thought about how he was going to leave. If he had been alone, he could have just taken a Corridor of Darkness. But, now he had the tagalongs, and he doubted they would appreciate it if he tried that. And he couldn't leave them.

Sora's memories wouldn't let him.

"Okay!" Goofy fell silent, and so the rest of their journey to the station was continued in peace. Until they arrived at the square and Dusks appeared.

"Argh! Those aren't Heartless!" Donald squawked, drawing his staff and letting off a Thunder to drive them back.

"No, they're Nobodies!" Roxas said, kicking out his foot to kick one away from him and then drive Oblivion through it. There were a lot, though, and it been such a long time since he had fought. He was also keeping an eye on Donald and Goofy, who were doing okay, considering they had never fought Nobodies before.

But they just kept coming, and his keyblades were feeling heavy on his arms. Donald's magic had slowed too, and the Dusks were getting bolder. And they had learned to duck Goofy's shield when it came flying around.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a Dusk sneaking up behind Donald, ready to pounce. "Donald, duck!" He turned and looked at him.

"What?" Well, damn. So he just hurled Oathkeeper and hoped Donald got the message. He did, diving to the ground with a bunch of gibberish swears. The Dusk was caught in the throat and the keyblade kept going until the wall stopped it. It writhed and died, leaving just his keyblade. He summoned it back to his hand, slashing over to Donald.

"You saved me!" was the first thing Donald said, jumping up.

"Well, of course I did, idiot! What was I supposed to do?" Goofy made his way over to them, and Roxas realized that they were completely surrounded.

"Uh, gosh. What do we do now?"

"Try to make a run for it?" Roxas said hopefully, though it wasn't looking too promising. Until there was a black blur with a golden keyblade killing the Dusks. He landed with his back to them, and Roxas could make out the silhouette of two big, round ears. King Mickey, his memories were telling him.

"Your Majesty?" Donald asked, jumping up on Roxas' back and pushing him down to get a better look.

"Um, ow," Roxas deadpanned and Donald jumped down, looking sheepish.

"Sshh," the King said, turning around. Then he stopped. "…Sora?" A sort of deadened fear rose in Roxas, and he half thought he was about to be run through and killed, like those Dusks had been.

But, Goofy once again, came to the rescue. Roxas wondered if he understood more than he let on. "Nope! This is Roxas! He has the keyblade too…two of 'em, actually!"

"You said we were supposed to follow the keyblade, so we are! And anyway, he's not _that_ bad. He helped me out," Donald said grudgingly.

But he knew what King Mickey wanted to hear. "He wasn't there, I looked, and he wasn't there. I don't know where he is. I'm so sorry I'm not him," he said with a slightly desperate edge. He couldn't kill him. If he killed him, they would never get Sora back, would they?

His eyelids flickered closed, half expecting to find a keyblade stick through his empty chest. What he didn't expect was a hand reaching for his and shaking it. "Gosh, it's nice to meet ya, Roxas!" He flicked his eyes open and Mickey was smiling up at him and he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

He kneeled down, to eye level with the mouse, who handed him a pouch. His breath caught when he realized it was _his_ pouch, the one that had been stolen from him. "Where did you get this?"

"A friend gave it to me after he took it from you. Guess I'm returning it," he said quietly, and then louder, "Fellas, I'm going to have to ask you to stick with Roxas for the time being."

"Sure thing, Your Majesty!" they both shouted, springing to attention and saluting. The King chuckled, then dropped his voice again.

"Roxas, you have to take the blue train to the tower. The man who lives there won't want to help you because of…what you are, but he knows he has to. Okay?"

Roxas nodded, and then bit his lip. "Thank you for not…" He wasn't exactly sure what to say, but it didn't matter, because he knew what Roxas meant.

"Aw, shucks. You don't seem that bad. And anyway, you saved Donald. That has to mean something." And then he was off, running down the cobbled street. Roxas stood up slowly, watching him leave. Then a slow smile spread across his face.

Maybe…maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Roxas, so what are we going to do now?" It was Goofy who asked that. Both of them were staring at him expectantly. He tossed the money pouch up in the air and caught it again, looking at the pattern on it. Then he looked through the glass doors of the station, at the blue train waiting for them.

A part of him whispered that he shouldn't do this. It would turn out terrible for him. But Sora's memories…and the fact that he had a chance to actually _do_ something and prove that he deserved to exist just as much as Sora stopped him.

Oh…what the hell. It wasn't like he had anything else to do.

"Well, I suppose we're going to do what the King told us to do and go wherever that blue train is going to take us," Roxas said. Both of them visibly cheered and ran for the station. Roxas didn't however, and turned slowly, taking one last look at the sky behind him. He would miss it.

"Roxas, c'mon! Slowpoke," Donald grumbled, holding the door open.

"Coming," he said, running to catch up with them. He approached the clerk, who was looking at them slightly amused. "Three tickets, please." He knew there was enough money in here, but when he dumped it out, a blue marble rolled across the desk. He trapped it with his hands and looked at it.

A small sentimental smile slid across his face as he put it back into the pouch, pocketing it and taking the tickets. "Thank you." Donald and Goofy were four steps ahead of him the entire time, and the train was whistling by the time he jumped on it, the door sliding shut behind him.

Donald took a seat, Goofy stood in the aisle, and he leaned on the door, watching as Twilight Town faded into the distance. Then a flash, and they were in bright-multicolored space, pulling farther and farther away.

"Roxas?" Goofy said. He turned to look at him questioningly. "You okay?"

"I'm going to miss it, is all," Roxas said quietly, pulling out the blue marble from the Struggle Trophy and clenching it in his hand.

"We'll come back. Promise!" Goofy said. "Right Donald?" he asked, nudging the mage. Donald huffed.

"Well, I guess." Roxas gave a tiny little smile, and turned to watch Twilight Town fade into a speck.

"Yeah. Sometime."


	2. Chapter 2

I'm sorry it took me so long to get this next chapter up and running. School gets in the way. And I still haven't finished 358/2 Days, so still does not contain anything from that game.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters within.

* * *

The tram stopped at an island floating around in gummi space. Roxas looked out to see the tower he was supposed to find rising up above the horizon. "Guys, we're here," he said, standing up and exiting the tram. Donald and Goofy joined him on the island, looking around.

"Gawsh, wonder who lives here?" Goofy asked.

"Well, we're just gonna have to find out. C'mon, Roxas!" Donald said, and both of them walked forward. Roxas looked behind him just in time to see the tram completely disappear in a bunch of sparkles, leaving just tracks and open space.

"Er…there goes our ride." He laughed nervously, before running to catch up with the other two.

"So, His Majesty said to…"

"Talk to the man who lives here, yes. I told you," Roxas said, finishing Donald's sentence. "And no, I don't know who it is." A smell came to Roxas, strong and bitter, and he knew instantly it was the smell of darkness coming right from behind them. "Both of you, move!" he yelled, drawing Oathkeeper and impaling the Shadow that jumped at them from behind. Suddenly they were everywhere.

"How did you know they were going to attack us?!" Donald asked, calling down a thunder spell. Roxas shrugged, dodging another.

"I just…knew."

Soon, all of the shadows were gone, and they found themselves at the foot of the tower, looking at the back of somebody as they tried to break into the tower. Or were listening at the door, or something, Roxas couldn't tell.

"What are you doing?" Roxas asked, looking at the man's back. He expected him to turn around surprised. What he didn't expect was for him to start talking.

"Well, y'see, I sent some Heartless into this here tower to turn the bigshot wizard who lives here into a Heartless. I guess he's really powerful, so when he's a Heartless, I'll be able to control him! I'm behind schedule as it is with helping Maleficent raise her giant Heartless army. So, scram and leave me alone!"

"I think you should find something nicer to do," Goofy said.

"Who says? You?" the man said, turning around. Obviously they recognized each other, as all three of them yelled. "It's you two!"

"Pete!" both shouted at the exact same time.

"You _know_ him?" Roxas asked, looking dubiously between all three of them.

"Yeah! Pete's been causing trouble for a long time. King Mickey banished him to a different dimension a long time ago," Donald explained, but still pointing his staff at Pete. "Wonder how he escaped."

Pete laughed, grinning. "Well, Maleficent found me and busted me out. And now I work for her and you guys are going to be in big trouble because soon Maleficent's gonna conquer all these worlds."

It took Roxas a moment, but he was able to conjure up a picture of Maleficent-being defeated by Sora and then absorbed by Ansem in Riku's body. Roxas blinked and then tilted his head to look at Pete.

"But isn't she dead?"

"So you're the ones who did it!" Pete said, pointing at Roxas.

"No, Sora, Donald and Goofy did it. I didn't have anything to do with it." Ignoring the fact that he technically was Sora is the most abstract way and had his memories.

"Gawsh, we did. But how did you know that?" Goofy asked. Roxas shrugged once again, avoiding the questions that he couldn't answer.

"I heard about it from someone," Roxas said, and then changed the subject. "But anyway, you're kind of in our way, since we'd like to get in the tower."

"Nuh-uh! You're not getting passed the Mighty Pete! Heartless army, assemble!" Roxas raised his eyebrow as he summoned a bunch of Shadows.

"Shadows? That's it?" Roxas asked before quickly killing all of them effortlessly, much to Donald and Goofy's amazement, and raising Oblivion to point at Pete's chest. "I don't fear Heartless." What were they going to do to him? Take his non-existent heart? "Now, who lives here?"

"H-Hey, watch where you're pointing that thing," Pete said, descending the stairs and circled around to back away from Roxas. "Old Yen Sid lives here. Thought I could make him a Heartless."

"Master Yen Sid lives here?!" Donald asked excitedly, and didn't wait for an answer as he bounded up the stairs and ran into the tower. Roxas looked at him confusedly, then turned to Goofy.

"Master Yen Sid is the King's teacher!" And with that he ran into the tower too.

Roxas sighed. "Guess this is your lucky day," he said. "But don't expect another one." He vanished his keyblades and ran in after the two of them, leaving Pete, stunned, outside the tower.

"There you are, Roxas!" Donald said, at the bottom of the spiraling staircase. "C'mon! We have to go see Master Yen Sid!"

"I can't wait," Roxas deadpanned. Meeting people who hated him because of what he was always gave him such a thrill.

The stairs up the tower were floating in space most often, and Roxas wondered exactly how this tower was composed if most of it was just empty space. It was a good thing to wonder in-between fighting the Heartless that appeared instead of concentrating on what awaited him at the top of the tower.

"Roxas… How did you fight those Heartless earlier, with Pete, so easily?" Goofy asked him, on the third staircase up. Roxas blinked in surprise that he was asked that, then shrugged it off.

"I have a lot of practice with fighting Heartless. It's almost like second nature," he said.

"Yeah, well… you just like showing off!" Donald grumbled. Roxas looked at him, muttering to himself, and gave a tiny smile. He was growing to like these two, and it just wasn't Sora's memories.

"And I don't think you like it when other people show you up," he said, teasing before running up ahead to avoid Donald trying to shock him. He pushed open the door and stumbled into a study with someone sitting behind the desk. Roxas' eyes widened and he backed up until Donald and Goofy caught up with him, pushing him in.

"Master Yen Sid!" both said, bowing to him. Roxas just lowered his eyes in what he hoped was an appropriate fashion. He didn't like the way he was being looked at already.

"Why are you here?" he started immediately in a booming voice. Roxas wasn't cowed. Xemnas was more frightening than Yen Sid could ever hope to be. "Where is Sora and why did you come here?"

"Master, Roxas here-" Goofy stopped talking as Yen Sid held up a hand.

"I asked him the question. Let him answer it." Roxas bit his lip, feeling anger bubbling at the surface. How could this man have taught the King, who was so thoughtful and nice and the complete opposite of what he was?

"With all due respect, sir, I was told by His Majesty King Mickey to come here and ask for your help, even though you would not want to give it. He also said that you would have to give it because you know that I am now the only hope you have left. So, could we please get this over with quickly, so you won't have to see the worthless and useless thing I am in your tower anymore," Roxas said, keeping his voice level while loading every single ounce of malice he had into every word.

"…All right then," Yen Sid said, before he sat down. "As you know, a lot of things have changed since you two fell asleep. There is a new threat to worlds, more serious than the Heartless." A projection of a Dusk was suddenly there.

"This is a Nobody. Sometimes, when a person has a strong heart and is turned into a Heartless, their body will develop a life of its own and continue to act. This is the definition of a Nobody. And this," he said, gesturing at the image, "are the most common form, the Dusk Nobody.

"Nobodies do not have hearts, so therefore do not have feelings, or truly exist at all." That was a slap directed straight at Roxas, and it didn't go over his head. He clenched his fist and told himself to not get angry, because that's what he wanted to happen. "Do not let your guard down, you will see many Dusks in your journeys, and many other and larger Nobodies that all mean to do you harm. But all other Nobodies are ultimately controlled by-" Here he waved his hand and then was a projection of an Organization member. Roxas could still feel what it was like to wear that coat.

"Organization XIII. They are the strongest Nobodies formed, and have formed this group for reasons unknown. The King is trying to determine the mysteries behind both the Heartless and the Nobodies, and has ventured forth using the Dark Realm's keyblade." The images disappeared altogether, and Yen Sid focused on Roxas. "So, what will you do?"

"I'll fight Organization XII and the Nobodies. Someone has to save the worlds. Obviously, you're not going to do it, since you're hiding up here in your tower," Roxas said. Donald turned to him and jumped to whack him on the head with his staff.

"Roxas! Show some respect."

"I don't expect for him to show me any respect, just as I won't show him any of mine. I will provide you with a gummi ship to travel between the worlds. But let it be known, that since Kingdom Hearts has been locked the worlds have drifted apart to their original states."

"Then how do we get around?" Roxas asked, exasperated. If he was by himself, he could just use the Corridors of Darkness. But, he had Donald and Goofy with him, so he couldn't.

"The keyblade will guide you. As soon as you see a burst of light from the keyblade, return to the gummi ship and travel on to the next world. But the enemy has their own way to travel, and they will use it as you unlock yours. Now, be gone."

And that was that. Roxas turned on his heel and walked towards what he hoped was the way to the garage. Donald and Goofy stayed behind to salute and say goodbye, before running to catch up with Roxas.

"What was that all about?" Donald asked, jumping in front of Roxas and spearing his arms out. Roxas just walked around him.

"It's between me and him. Don't you two worry about it," Roxas told them, gritting his teeth.

"Gawsh, it seemed like you two hated each other but you've never met before! Why's that?"

"And why did you say you were useless and worthless? What's that supposed to mean, huh?"

Roxas whirled around, glaring at both of them. "I told you-it has nothing to do with you. So drop it!" he said, before stalking off. "We need to find that gummi ship and get out of here."

Donald and Goofy looked at each other, communicating silently, before running again to catch up with Roxas. "Oh, c'mon Roxas! Cheer up!" Goofy said. "Remember, the gummi ship runs on smiles!"

"Yeah," Donald said half-heartedly, before Goofy elbowed him. "You have to smile!"

"I am not going to smile," Roxas said, finally walking into the garage where their gummi chip was awaiting them. Donald and Goofy jumped in front of the door, blocking it.

"Give us a smile, Roxas!"

"Yeah! Smile!"

"I can't smile on command, you know," he said, scowling. Until he looked down at the both of them, beaming up at him. And the irony struck him that they were trying to get a Nobody, who shouldn't have any feelings at all, to smile and be happy. It made him grin, and he hid it behind a hand.

"Aha! You're smiling!" Donald said, grabbing his one arm and pulling it down.

"Gawsh, yeah! You look…" He paused. "You look like Sora when you smile like that." Roxas' eyes widened, and he turned away.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," he said quietly, pushing past them. "Now get in the gummi ship before I leave you two behind." They both hastily obeyed.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, long time no see! I finally got this chapter out. I'm not sure I like the finished product much, but here it is. Un-beta-ed, too. Please read and review.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts-it belong to Square Enix and Disney.

* * *

Roxas, Donald and Goofy descended from the Gummi ship to end up in a town square. Roxas blinked, because he didn't remember this place from Sora's memories, until he looked to the right and saw a rather ominous castle half destroyed.

"This is Hollow Bastion…" he said, trailing off.

"Gawsh, I wonder if Leon and the others are here," Goofy wondered, and then turned to Roxas to explain. "They're friends of ours that helped me, Sora and Donald fight the Heartless and Maleficent." Roxas nodded at him, but then the strong, pungent smell of Darkness came to him.

"There's Heartless here," he said quietly. Donald and Goofy looked around and Donald shouted and pointed at two Soldier Heartless that appeared on the roof of the building nearest, peered down at them, and then disappeared. Obviously they thought better of ambushing a Nobody.

"I hope Leon and the others are all right," Donald said. "C'mon, you two." And so they walked out across the square, inspecting the place.

"They really have done some work on this place," Goofy said, poking at a stall. Roxas looked up and saw a duck holding what looked like a stick of Sea Salt ice cream. He nudged Donald.

"Hey, is that a relative of yours?" he asked. Donald looked up and jumped.

"Uncle Scrooge!" He ran over to him, stopping in front of him. "Uncle Scrooge, what are you doing here? Where are Heuy, Dewey and Louie? You're supposed to be watching them!"

"Ah, Donald. They're running the shop over that a way. I could ask you what you're doing here," Scrooge asked him. Donald frowned and crossed his arms, tapping his foot.

"I suppose you're making them earn money for you. _Again_," he said. "And I'm saving the world with Goofy and Roxas."

"Actually, they're saving all the money for themselves. And hello, Goofy," Scrooge said, waving at Goofy.

"Hiya, Scrooge!"

"And you must be Roxas. Hello, pleased to meet you. I'm Scrooge McDuck."

"I see that," Roxas said, slightly amused at Donald swearing incomprehensibly and running off to where Scrooge pointed to check on his nephews. "And that looks like Sea Salt ice cream." Scrooge looked surprised for a minute.

"Yes, yes it is lad. It was my favorite ice cream when I was a boy." Roxas bent down to look at him in the eye.

"It's my favorite ice cream. I thought that it was impossible to find outside of Twilight Town." He could remember sitting on that clock tower, first with Axel, then with Hayner, Olette, and Pence, eating Sea Salt ice cream.

"You used to be able to find it here, before the Heartless came. Which is why I'm trying to recreate it," Scrooge said, holding up the stick of ice cream. "It isn't working, though. It's terrible."

"Let me try," he said, holding out his hand. Scrooge handed it to him and he licked an experimental stripe up it and shuddered. "Too salty. Needs more sweet."

Scrooge nodded thoughtfully. "I'll keep that in mind," he said as Roxas handed the ice cream back and stood up. Donald came back just then, looking a little less angry. "So, anything you boys need?"

"Could you possibly tell us where we can find Leon?" Roxas asked him.

"That way, boys," he told them, pointing away from them along a bridge. "Follow the alley and it's the house at the end."

"Thanks," Roxas said, grabbing Donald, who looked like he was about to scold Scrooge again and started to pull him in that direction.

"Bye, Scrooge!" Goofy said, and then took off after them, catching up just in time for Donald to pull away from Roxas, muttering under his breath. Roxas just rolled his eyes and the three of them walked side by side further into the city. Until a light rose up out of the stone cobbles and decided it was going to attack Roxas. Roxas jumped, summoning both his keyblades and swinging at it. Of course, his keyblades passed right through.

"What the hell!" he yelled, as it disappeared, and then another tried to attack him. He once again jumped out of the way.

"What's going on?" Donald asked, whacking at another one with his staff when it rose to try to go after Roxas.

"That's the town's defense system," a voice said behind him. Roxas turned, and up on the roof was… An image, fuzzy and unmistakably Sora's helped him place her. Yuffie, the ninja.

"Which is obviously malfunctioning, " Roxas said, though he knew it wasn't at all. They must have programmed Nobodies into it, or it recognized them as enemies. It was recognizing him as what he was.

"Yeah, that's never happened before… Who are you, anyway? And Goofy, Donald, where's Sora?" Yuffie asked, poking her head around like she expected to see him hiding somewhere.

"Um… We actually don't know. This is Roxas. He has the keyblades, though!" Goofy said. "And he's really good at using them too, hyuk!"

"And the King said to stay with him, so we are," Donald finished. Yuffie looked mildly confused at this, looked back at Roxas but then shrugged it off like it was nothing.

"Is he? Huh. Anyway, c'mon! I'll take you to see the gang!" Yuffie said, bouncing down off the roof and running off. Donald and Goofy followed here, while Roxas lingered behind, looking at them walking away. He should get used to being constantly compared to Sora, he was the worse half of him anyway. He fought the urge to walk away from this but he walked briskly after them, irritably batting at the defense system that rose up to meet him with Oathkeeper.

He caught up with them just as they entered into the house and saw three people –Cid, Aerith, and Leon- eyes gravitating to stare at him and he felt vaguely uncomfortable at the increased scrutiny.

"Welcome to the Hollow Bastion restoration Committee!" Yuffie said cheerfully.

"About time you two came back," Leon said, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. "And where's Sora?"

"They said they don't know," Yuffie supplied. "And oh, this is Roxas. He can use the keyblade too."

"Hi," he said, giving a tiny wave. Aerith came over and clasped his hands in hers, beaming.

"Hello, I'm Aerith! It's so nice to meet you, Roxas." Despite himself, Roxas felt a small answering smile start to form on his face.

"It's nice to meet you too. Aerith." He looked around her to look at the others, who were still looking at him in mild curiousity.

"Oh, how rude of me! That's Cid," she said, point to him, where he gave a small wave back, "Leon," who just looked at him, infinitely curious, "and you've already met Yuffie." Yuffie bounced and waved at him. Roxas felt his smile start to grow a bit more as he looked at them, curious as to who he was but not openly hostile. Nothing like the Organization.

"So, how did you two manage to lose Sora and pick up Roxas?" Leon asked Donald and Goofy.

"Gawsh, we must have fallen asleep, and when we woke up, we couldn't find Sora. But Roxas was there, and he had the keyblades. So, we followed the keyblade, just like the king told us to."

"And then we _met_ the King, who told us to stick with Roxas. So here we are."

"Sleeping," Leon said, sighing and putting a hand over his face, "Of course. Anyway, I'm not surprised to see you. Just a little while ago everybody suddenly remembered you."

"Hey, you forgot about us?" Donald said, crossing his arms and tapping his foot.

"Not like we had any choice in the matter," Cid mumbled, going back to typing on the computer. Leon rolled his eyes and continued to talk.

"Anyway, we're glad to see you. We seem to have a problem."

"A Heartless and a Nobody problem," Roxas said. He could tell their presence anywhere. The smell of Darkness was traveling on the wind from Hollow Bastion and with it, the familiarity of Dusk Nobodies. None of the Organization's special Nobodies, though.

"Yeah, we do. We were wondering if you could help us."

Roxas raised one eyebrow. "And we're supposed to say no to that?"

"Nobody said you had to help, kid," Cid said.

"I have the keyblades. That's enough," Roxas said, feeling anger drift to the surface. Of course it was _his_ problem. He'd helped create it. And he was Sora's Nobody. "Now, which way?"

Leon moved towards the door. "Follow me to the baily, then. There's something you have to see." He took off out the door. The three of them went to follow him until there was a wild puff of smoke and an old man appeared. Merlin, his memories told him.

"Ah, hello, boys. Long time no see." Then he caught sight of Roxas. "And who might you be?"

"Roxas," he answered automatically. "You're Merlin."

"Why yes, yes I am. How did you know?"

"Just knew. Now, we really need to get going." He moved to leave again and then Aerith grabbed him.

"Wait, here. If you're going to help…" She handed them each a card. Roxas looked at his, which had no name filled in.

"Hollow Bastion Restoration Club Honorary Member?" he read out loud, looking up at Aerith's smiling face.

"Wow, we're honorary members!" Donald said, tucking his card into his pocket.

"That's really cool!" Goofy said, grinning, also putting his card away.

"We figured that you'd need them," Yuffie said, grinning. "Also, Leon said he wanted you to have them, but he wouldn't do it in a million years."

"I can't take this…" Roxas said. "You don't even know me." He tried to pass the card back to Aerith but she refused to take it back.

"Keep it. Now go help Leon before he gets angry," she said, shooing him. He frowned, and slipped it into his pocket anyway before running after Donald and Goofy who were halfway out the door.

They almost ran to the Baily, catching up with Leon who was waiting almost impatiently. "There you are. Look." He pointed out beyond the balcony overlooking the gorge in front of Hollow Bastion. Roxas stepped up on the battlement wall to get a better look. Dusks and Heartless populated it.

"We've been trying to rebuild the castle to the best of our ability but they've been in our way," he said, gesturing. "So, do you have any idea what's been going on?"

"Well, they're not Emblem Heartless. That's good," Roxas said. Leon raised an eyebrow at that.

"Emblem Heartless?" Donald asked. "What are those?" Roxas turned on the wall to look at the three of them.

"Ever seen the Heartless with the emblem on them? The heart with the cross through it? They're artificial Heartless. They were created…I don't know by whom, though. They're also stronger. The natural form of the Heartless is just those harmless Shadows down there. The upside down heart is the symbol of the Nobodies and Organization XIII. See, you can see it on the Dusk's head. Dusks are just normal. The members of Organization XII control their own specific Nobodies," he said.

"Thanks for the tip," Leon said. "But how do you know that?"

"I…" Roxas tried to come up with a good lie, but he was stuck with nothing. Just then, though, he felt it, like ice up his spine. He would never mistake that feeling, the feeling of a Corridor of Darkness and the pressure of a Nobody-Nobodies-on the world around it.

"Did somebody mention us?" somebody called, and Roxas dived off the wall, running into the covered walkway. "Roxas, you'd think you'd know better than to oppose the Organization."

"Show yourselves!" he yelled to thin air, Oathkeeper and Oblivion jumping into his hands. "Cowards!"

"Why should we, when we can just watch from afar?" And Dusks sprang up from nowhere. Leon grabbed his gunblade and whacked at one.

"Roxas, get the gate! If they get into the city…" He nodded, and ran over, impaling a Dusk that got in his way. He heaved the heavy iron gate closed and snapped the lock shut, only to turn around and realize that Donald and Goofy were covering him. And losing, badly.

They were _defending_ him. And they'd only known him for a day, two days, tops. Maybe it was because he reminded them of Sora. Maybe it was because, in some way, he was Sora. But the fact that he could inspire such loyalty, have such _friends_ in such a short period of time, made him start to believe that he wasn't so utterly hopeless. That he needed to be in a digital world with constructs built to keep him there until Sora was ready to make friends… And even though they had been constructs, they had been his friends… Hayner, Pence, Olette… Donald, Goofy. Now the entire Restoration Committee… and Axel. Couldn't forget Axel.

It made him feel protective of them…and a strong burning hatred for the Organization, the ones that had bound him, chained him, treated him as a mere weapon to complete Kingdom Hearts.

It ended _now_.

With a loud cry, he launched himself at the remaining Dusks, and they weren't fools. They knew an enraged higher Nobody when they saw one. The Dusks disappeared, retreating except for one unlucky one that got sliced in half. He barreled out of the walkway, down onto the steps, looking up with a glare at the walls that surrounded the sides.

"Organization XIII! Yes, you! I know you're there! Show yourselves!" They did, this time, swirling into view, hoods of their Black Coats pulled up.

"Roxas. Such a disappointment…" Xemnas said, shaking his head. Roxas growled at him.

"I'm going to kill you all! And that's not a threat, that's a _promise_. I will! Organization XIII will be gone!" He would have his revenge for everybody the Organization had ever screwed over. Him, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Namine, Donald, Goofy, the King, the people of Hollow Bastion, everybody who had ever had their hearts taken… He would do what Sora would do. He was going to defeat the bad guys and save the worlds.

"Roxas, such anger… and coming from you?" Xemnas said, and he could see him shaking his head and tsking in that annoying way. "I shall look forward to your revenge, then. And to think, I had hoped we could be friends." And they all disappeared. Roxas stood staring up at where they were, feeling his hands clenched white knuckled on his keyblades.

"Roxas?" He knew that Donald and Goofy had come up behind him, almost cautiously. He turned to look at them and dropped his tense posture, relaxing his keyblades and letting them fade away.

"Yeah?" he asked quietly.

"What was _that_?" Donald asked, looking in-between Roxas and where the Organization had just been.

"Gawsh," Goofy began, "I bet Roxas was just angry 'cause they were threatening Hollow Bastion. Right, Roxas?"

Well, he supposed it was true, in a way. Roxas started to smile at them, honestly smile. "Of course. I'm a Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Honorary Member, right?" he asked, pulling out his card.

And then it started to glow. Roxas blinked as it started to float up into the air, and the Kingdom Key appeared in his hands, shooting a bolt of light into it. The sound of a lock clicking open, and a bright light filled his vision. Then the keyblade was gone, and the card was back in his hands.

"Uh…"

"What was that?" Leon asked. He looked like he was seeing Roxas in a completely new light, and less like some tagalong kid with the keyblade.

"I think that was our ride to the next world, guys," he said to Donald and Goofy. He turned to Leon. "Hey, I think we have to go. Say goodbye to everyone for us?"

"Will do. Be careful out there, though. That Organization XIII, they look tough."

"Hey, we'll look out for each other! Won't we, fellas?" Goofy said. Roxas nodded, that stupid smile _still_ on his face, and he couldn't get rid of it.

And maybe he didn't want to just yet.

…Just to power the Gummi Ship, he told himself.


End file.
